XMen Evolution: Old Enemies, New Friends
by TicTactful
Summary: A familiar face joins the XMen: Evolution gang. Formerly posted on the XMen comics forum but now more appropriately relocated. Episode 1 in an ongoing series. Please R&R!
1. And So It Begins

Disclaimer: Anyone who thinks I own the X-Men or X-Men: Evolution is either on a great deal of prescription painkillers or rides the short bus to school. I am making no money from this whatsoever, so don't sue me, 'cause you won't be able to get anything. 

Feedback: Please R&R! 

Author's Notes: I feel I should mention that this story is, in part, my response to this recent flood of Kurtty stories. While the authors have generally done a fine job with their writing frankly the idea of Kurt + Kitty just annoys me. 

I am reposting this after having fixed my crappy formatting. You may thank me later. :o) There's a tiny bit of editing too. 

Those of you who read my last story ("Devilspawn") may notice certain similarities. These are mostly because I don't actually speak German and feel it necessary to use the few phrases I do know as frequently as possible. Don't hit me! 

Shameless Babylon-5 reference in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... 

  


Chapter 1: And So It Begins 

  


Kurt Wagner whistled tunelessly, walking back to Professor Xavier's mansion after school. No homework tonight; that meant he could spend a little quality time alone with the new comic books he had just bought ... 

Hearing hushed voices, he looked around for their source, peering down a blind alley on his left. When he saw who was there, he gasped and darted into the shadows, hastily hitting the button on his holograph-transmitter watch so that he turned again into the blue, furry Nightcrawler. In his natural shape he blended instantly into the dark shadows, essentially invisible to prying eyes. Carefully he crept closer to the two speakers, straining to catch their words. 

" ... go now," came the growling rumble of the hulking mutant called Sabretooth. " ... girl ... ladelphia ... find ... soon." 

The bass voice that answered nearly eluded Kurt's sharp ears completely. " ... not fail ... else." Kurt could not see this man's face at all for the darkness, nor did he recognize the voice. All he could see was the dim edge of a red cloak. _Who can he be?_

The secret conversation appeared to have ended. With a snarl, Sabretooth retreated up a fire escape and the mysterious man faded into the shadows. Kurt hesitated a moment more, pressing himself against the alley wall, then activated his hologram and fled toward the mansion. 

  


"Professor!" shouted Kurt, flinging open the front door. "Professor?" 

!BAMF! He teleported to the control room, the danger room, the infirmary, upstairs, downstairs, all around the mansion. "Scott? Jean? Ororo? Logan? Is anyvun here?" 

At last, popping madly around the house, he discovered a note taped to the refrigerator door. It read simply, 

_Kurt, _

Professor Xavier and I have gone to Washington for a meeting with some Congressmen. If you need something, Jean and Scott are at the movies, Kitty, Evan, and Rogue have gone to the arcade, and Logan is doing whatever it is Logan does. There is pizza for you in the fridge. 

Ororo 

"Of course dey vould all be gone ven I need dem!" Kurt grumbled. "_Was fur ein Gluck!_ But vat do I do now?" 

He thought for a moment. "Ve don't haf time to vait to see vat Sabretooth is up to. I cannot vait for de others." Quickly he grabbed a pencil and scrawled on the bottom of Storm's note: 

_I have gone to Filadelfia after Sabretooth. I think he plans bad things. I will return soon. _

Kurt 

  


With that, he hurried out to the garage. "Somehow I doubt dat de Professor vould be happy if I took de Blackbird." He decided to settle for the van instead. "Too bad I cannot just teleport straight to Philadelphia." 


	2. A Hard Day's Night

Disclaimer: Anyone who thinks I own the X-Men or X-Men: Evolution is either on a great deal of prescription painkillers or rides the short bus to school. I am making no money from this whatsoever, so don't sue me, 'cause you won't be able to get anything. 

Feedback: Please R&R! 

Chapter 2: A Hard Day's Night 

  


Rahne Sinclair splashed warm water onto her face, then yawned. "Nae! Nae more staying up late tae watch 'Daffy Duck' marathons," she told her reflection sternly as she set about searching for her toothbrush. She didn't notice the hulking shadow lurking a few yards away from the window of the downstairs bathroom. She stuck the toothbrush in her mouth and began braiding her long reddish-brown hair. She tried to forgot that that same red-brown hair had started to appear all over her body last night, on her face and hands and legs, before suddenly disappearing. "Just a dream. A must've eaten a little tae much f'r dinner. Ho-hum. Mebbe jus' one more episode," she said thoughtfully around her toothbrush, stepping into her pajamas. "Jus' one more … " 

Cruising slowly up and down the streets of Philadelphia, Kurt was beginning to get discouraged, not to mention a little sleepy. "Maybe this vasn't such a good idea. Still no sign of Sabretooth. Maybe I should have at least tried to find Logan or Scott." 

He sighed and kept driving, bright pale eyes searching both sides of the street. Too late to turn back now. Maybe he could- 

He coasted to a stop a street corner, frowning into a small yard. _Dat looks like a boulder, but boulders don't move. Not even slowly. _He put out the headlights, put the car in reverse, and backed silently into the driveway. Deactivating his hologram as he got out of the car, he crept toward the lump that must be Sabretooth. Quietly. Quietly. He would never hear Kurt till it was too late. Quietly- 

The huge head whipped around, nostrils flaring. The gruesomely wide lips parted in a smirk. 

"D-don't make me hurt you, now," Kurt said, crouching, ready for attack. 

The shaggy creature laughed, once, a hoarse barking sound - and charged. 

  


Rahne tossed the popcorn bag into the microwave and set the timer. Suddenly, over the machine's hum, she heard a muffled thump and a yelp. "Stupid bloody squirrels," she muttered, and stuck her head in the refriegerator to look for some soda. 

  


Kurt rolled between Sabretooth's massive feet, narrowly avoiding the sweeping claws. _Of all de stupid ideas! Vy did I tink I could do dis myself?_ He was agile and fast, but Sabretooth was strong, not to mention all but omnipresent. One of his huge paws closed around Kurt's thin wrist. Kurt groaned as he felt his hologram watch snap. _Now how I am going to get home without everyvun I see running avay screaming bloody murder?_ !BAMF! and suddenly Sabretooth was holding nothing but thin air. _Of course there are always other advantages_, Kurt thought, reappering hanging from a tree branch over Sabretooth's head, pausing to catch his breath. Sabretooth swung his head from side to side, searching, then caught sight of Kurt dangling from both feet overhead. Kurt gasped and started to move a moment too late as Sabretooth broke the branch in half with one paw. Gravity clawed at him before he could think to teleport, and he crashed to the ground. A yelp ripped out of him as he pushed himself to the ground, his shoulder screaming with pain. _And so much for agile._ He backed away from Sabretooth's lumbering approach, then turned and flung himself toward the little house. One massive paw clubbed his face as he disappeared and the world crashed into blackness around him. 

  


!BAMF! 

Rahne banged her head on the inside of the fridge as she tried to stand up at the strange sound. "What _is_ tha' smell ... " She turned around slowly. A vaguely human-shaped lump was sprawled on the kitchen floor. Vaguely human shaped - except that it had three fingers, thee toes, and a tail, and was covered in blue fur. "Oh, Lord in heaven, help me! Wha' can i' _be_?" 

Hesitantly, she inched toward it. It was still breathing, whatever it was, air hissing in and out between gleaming white fangs. Dull red matted the fur on one side of its face. Blue eyelids flickered, pale eyes staring at her, through her. The fanged mouth worked slowly. "Ssss. Sss'br ..." Rahne took another step toward the blue demon- 

--and flinched away, screaming, as the kitchen window shattered. Splinters of glass bit at her face and hands and she rolled away. She brushed the tiny shards away from her eyes and looked up to see what new intruder was there. 

Rahne found herself staring up into a wide, snarling mouth lined with yellowed fangs. Foul breath tickled her nose and beady little eyes locked with her own. 

She whimpered. The huge, terrible face snorted. Rahne, frozen with terror, began to cry as the monster seized her by both wrists, lifted her and carried her into the bathroom. It set her inside and closed the door. She heard the lock click. Then heavy footsteps padded back down the corridor. She stood there, panting and weeping quietly, not knowing why or how any of this had happened. Then she heard a boy's shrill cry from down the hall - a cry and a crash. 

Rahne threw herself at the door, pounding it with her fists. "Stop! Let me out o' here!" she screamed. "Stop i'! Oh God, please help me, please!" 

The cries continued, and the crashes, and then there were only crashes without cries. Rahne continued to claw at the door, wailing at the stolid oak. 

But then suddenly she was cutting long grooves in the wood. She stared at her fingers, now longer and covered with bristling brown fur, but she could not stop her attack on the door. Her scream swelled in her throat and became a howl. One more swipe of her paw - her _paw_?! - and the doorknob fell away, the door swung open. She tore down the hallway on all fours, claws scoring deep lines into the floor. She saw the monster, crouching over the blue creature's still body, in her black and white vision. Her legs tightened and she launched herself toward the beast's throat. Her teeth dug into his shoulder; the claws of her powerful hind legs scrabbled at his back. He screamed once, an animal bellow of pain and surprise. His huge arms could not reach her, but he flung his head and sent her sprawling across the room. She shook her head and snarled, curling her lips back from her fangs, then leapt at him, jaws snapping at his legs. _Sever the hamstring, then gae f'r the belly. Tha' is how wolves kill._ The thought shocked Rahne. _How wolves kill?! A'm a girl, not a wolf! A girl, not a wolf a girl not a wolf a girl wolf girl wolf girlwolfgirlwolf ..._

Her teeth snapped shut around his wrist. He howled in pain and flung her away once more, then, hissing angrily, jumped out of the broken window and fled into the night. 

Rahne sat on her haunches and gasped for breath. _Bad thing gone. Safe now._ She licked carefully at a front paw that Sabretooth had caught with a front paw, then realized what she was doing. My ... paw? My paw! She fled back to the bathroom, all four paws skidding, and leapt up onto the counter, nose pressed against the mirror. A reddish-brown wolf stared back at her. 

Her howl tore at the night sky. 


	3. Wolfsister

Disclaimer: We've been over this. I don't own the X-Men or X-Men Evolution. However if anyone is still looking for a birthday present for me ... :o) 

  


Chapter 3: Wolfsister 

  


Kurt woke slowly, blinking at the shards of glass scattered on the floor in front of his face. _Am I home?_ Painfully he turned his head, glanced at the strange room around him. Suddenly memory of the fight returned to him. _De girl! Oh God - did Sabretooth take her? _He had to find out. He worked one elbow underneath himself, trying to get up, but succeeded only in making a weak kitten-like sound as fiery pain lanced up his arm. "Oh-h ... " 

A large lump shifted on the far side of the kitchen; with a start he realized it was the girl, sitting crouched on the floor with her back turned to him. "Don' ye be movin' now. Stay where ye are. A don' want ye any closer than tha', ye ... ye ... whatever ye are." 

"I don't tink I could come closer if I vanted to." He tried to laugh and failed, instead spitting blood from a cut lip. "Don't vorry. I vould not hurt you." 

"Ye could nae hurt a newbairn pup wi' its eyes still shut t'way ye look." Concern for him briefly replaced fear in the girl's thick burr of an accent. "Wha' ... wha' are ye, anyhoo? Some kin' o' demon? Wha'?" 

Kurt cringed, longing for his hologram watch. How many times he had heard that! "_Mein Gott, nein_! I am a mutant only. Nothing so terrible." 

A strangled sob burst out of the girl, followed by a string of what sounded like frantic prayers. "Dear heavenly Father ... oh, nae me, Lord!" Kurt heard, "nae me, please, nae me!" 

Again Kurt struggled to rise and made it to his knees. He swayed there for a moment. "I promised I vould not hurt you. Never I vould do that, I svear." 

"Nae ye!" the girl wailed. "Me!" With that, she whirled around to face Kurt. 

He gasped. 

Where he was covered in blue fur, she was covered in brown. His three fingers matched her five long, pointed brown ones, and his pale eyes stared into her golden. 

"When tha' thing, tha' ... thing was here ... A was a wolf! An honest-tae-God wolf, heaven help me! Who will want me now?" 

Kurt leaned forward, his arms trembling from the strain of holding himself up. "I know a place vhere ... people like us can train, learn to control ourselves. Vhere ve are not treated as someting ... subhuman." 

The girl stared at him as her eyes rapidly filled with tears. "Oh, mercy! Subhuman. And tha's just hoo A've been ..." Her eyes flickered green for half a second, and then, abruptly, she was an ordinary looking teenaged girl again. She rose unsteadily to her feet, scrubbing the back of her hand across her eyes. "And there A go again. A'll, A'll get ye a blanket, or, or, ah ... A'll be right, ah, back ..." 

Kurt suddenly noticed the long gash in her arm. "But, _mein fraulein_, you are bleeding!" 

"Look who's talkin', ye great muckle sumph!" she snapped. "Shut yer fool muckle mouth before ye pass oot an' die on me kitchen floor." 

Kurt shut his fool muckle mouth. 


	4. Manna

Disclaimer: Just in case you want to hear me say it AGAIN - I do not own any of these characters and I am making no profit from this story whatsoever. Happy? 

  


Chapter 4: Manna 

  


As soon as she was around the corner, Rahne slumped against the wall, pressing her forehead against the cool panels. _Heavenly Father_, she despaired, _what dae A dae now? There's a jolly blue hairy devil bleedin' tae death on me bloody kitchen floor, an' a crazy monster runnin' around me neighborhood, an' me a mutie tae boot. He says A can trust him, but, Father, how dae A know he's nae up tae nae good? A need a sign, Lord. Please help me. A don' know wha' tae dae._

She leaned there a while longer, face upturned to the heavens. _All right, now, get a hold o' yerself, Rahne. One thing a' a time. _She took a deep breath and got up to look for the promised blanket. 

_A don' wanta ruin any of Mum's nice quilts wi' all th' blood,_ she thought, digging through the blanket chest. _What'll A dae?_ Her searching fingers came across her old tartan coverlet. She pressed it to her face, inhaling the scent of thistles and clean Highland air. _And now i' will smell o' blue monster fur._ She sighed and stood, slowly making her way back to the kitchen. 

  


"_... Dein Name werde geheiligt. Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe auf Erden wie in Himmel. Unser täglich Brot gib uns heute. Und vergiß uns unsere Schulden, wie wir unsern Schuldigern vergeben ..._" 

Rahne's ears caught the words before she reentered the kitchen, and she stopped for a moment to listen. The language was unfamiliar, but the rhythm was unmistakable. She whispered along in English: 

"... Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us ..." 

Guilt filled her as she whispered, "Thank ye, Father. Thy will be done. A'll go wi' him, then. Thank ye." 

Drying her eyes, she came around the corner as if she had not overheard a word. "Right then, had a bit o' trouble findin' this old thing ..." 

She stopped, cringing. The blue creature lay bonelessly on the floor amid the shards of glass, repeating like a broken record, "_Dein Wille geschehe ... dein Wille geschehe ... dein Wille geschehe ..._" Thy will be done. She could barely stand the thought of touching him, but ... God's will be done. 

"How are ... how are ye doin', lad?" She moved hurriedly forward and wrapped the blanket around him. 

"_Ach, das schmerzt!_" cried the demon. "_Halt, bitte!_" 

Rahne bit her lip. "A don' understand a word ye say! A don' speak German!" Pale yellow eyes blinked slowly at her. "Dae ye want me tae call a doctor?" 

"_Nein, nein! Ich bin stark, ich bin wohl. Ich wolle nicht ein Arzt._" 

Nein. There was a word she understood, at least. "A ... a understand tha' ye don' want anyone tae see ye. But ye need help, help a cannae give ye! What dae ye want me tae dae!" 

The blue head moved forward, and the creature spoke with urgent intensity. "De van - outside de house. Vestchester - New York. Professor Xavier. _Ach, ich fühle mich scheußlich_." Then the pale eyes rolled back in his head and he was silent. 

Frantically Rahne, barely remembering the blue fur, searched his neck for a pulse. "Och, ye're okay. Ye're okay. We're both okay. Now, ah, wait there a moment, now, okay, don' move." She ran to the front window and peered out; there was, indeed, a black van parked in the front driveway. "Perfec'. Mebbe A can dae this after all." 

It took Rahne only a few moments to throw together a few belongings and dash off a note to her exchange family. She lifted the still form of the blue demon, still wrapped in the tartan coverlet, without much trouble; he was small and slim, while Rahne was tall and strong for her age. Then she carried him out to the van and buckled him carefully into the shotgun seat. 

Strapping herself into the driver's seat, she made a quick check. "Driver's license ... map ... painkillers, lots o' painkillers. Don' worry, they're for ye if ye need 'em, ye hairy bloody loony, nae for me. Okay," she said, scanning the map. "If A take th' freeway and then ... turn left a' the ... oh dear ... if A don' end up i' Canada A should be in this Westchester by mornin'." She glanced at the blue creature. "Good evenin', sirrah, me name is Rahne Sinclair an' A'll be yer pilot this fine night. Hope ye enjoy flyin' the Wolfie Skies." She shook her head. "Absolutely nae more Daffy Duck marathons for ye, Rahney me girl." She put the van into drive and pulled out of the driveway, refusing to look back. 

  


Rahne yawned. She wasn't sure how long she had been driving - it had been a long time, she thought. Her eyelids were beginning to droop and she yawned at least once a mile. "Last thing A want tae dae is fall asleep on th' expressway," she muttered. "A'll end up just a greasy smear on the side o' th' road. A brown furry smear, prob'ly, but a smear none-the-less." She sighed. "An' here A am talkin' to meself. Oh, but how rude, Rahne!" she scolded herself. "Monopolizin' the conversation when ye've got a guest." She nodded to the blue furry demon. "Delighted tae meet ye. Me name is Rahne Sinclair. An' ye are ...? Ah, the quiet type, A see. Well. A'm sorry tae have acted sae verra sapsy before, but ... ye are a funny-lookin' lad, ye know. A still don' know quite wha' tae make of ye. A think ye were there tryin' tae help me - fine job ye made o' i', let me say - but, crikey! Most o' the helpful people A've met don' look like the devil himself i' disguise. All ye need is a pitchfork and ye'd be set. Och, wha' would the Reverend think if he saw me runnin' away from th'exchange home wi' a blue furry monster? Ye don' ha' tae answer tha', i' was a rhetorical question. 

"Och," she yawned again, "A'd like tae pull over and sleep f'r a while. But A don' know which would be worse: tae fall asleep a' the wheel or tae make ye wait for help any longer than necess'ry. Well, A was gonnae stay up f'r Daffy Duck, sae A guess A can stay up f'r ye. Oh, an' A hope ye don' get any funny ideas, us spendin' the night together an' all ..." 


	5. Homecomings

Disclaimer: You know the rap by now. 

Author's Notes: Okay, this isn't the end, but it's the last installment for a little while. Hope you're enjoying the ride. Reviews please! 

  


Chapter 5: Homecomings 

  


It had been light for a long time already when Rahne passed the sign that read "Westchester - 15 miles". She whispered a relieved prayer and got off the expressway. She had to stop several times to ask for directions - and receive several strange looks - before she finally came to a huge mansion with a large sign in front reading "Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters". 

"Well, we're here," she said nervously. "But where is here? A guess A should find oot." Still, she remained buckled into her seatbelt for a moment longer. Finally she opened the car door and walked slowly up to the front door to ring the bell. 

_Donggg ..._

Rahne gasped as a girl about her own age walked straight through the closed door. "Kurt, where have you ... Oh!" she exclaimed, seeing Rahne. "Excuse me." 

The door crashed open, and a swarm of other teenagers burst out. A red-haired boy and girl, a black boy with fair hair, a girl with dark hair streaked with white. They were followed by a dark, unshaven man with _claws_ sticking out of his _hands_ and a beautiful black woman with flowing white hair. "Is the little bugger ... hey - who are you?" 

Finally a completely bald man came out, seated in what looked like a wheelchair except that it was floating a good few inches of the ground. "Oh, dear heavens," said Rahne faintly. 

The bald man looked over her shoulder. "The van. Jean?" 

The red-haired teenager put a hand to her head. "Yes! Kurt's there but he's ... professor, he's hurt!" 

Without another word the unshaven man and the redhead boy shoved past Rahne to the van and flung open the door. The unshaven man's claws flickered and disappeared back into his hands, and with surprising gentleness lifted blue and fuzzy 'Kurt' out of the passenger seat and carried him back into the house. The four other boys and girls tailed him into the house; Rahne watched them go. 

The bald man paused a moment beside Rahne. "Miss Sinclair, I am Professor Xavier, and this is Ororo. She will look after you." With that he followed the others through the doors. 

Startled, Rahne looked at the woman. "Wha' ...? How did he know me name?" 

"Your foster parents called ahead to let us know you were coming. They found your note, apparently. They were quite worried," the woman added. 

Rahne hung her head. " A'm sorry. A didn' want them tae see me ... how A was before." 

"And how were you before?" Rahne looked at her with dark, sad eyes, and she shook her head. "You can tell us later, if you want. You must be hungry. Come with me, I shall find something for you to eat." She led Rahne into the mansion. 

  


Rahne stared with wonder and amazement at the grand mansion; it was nothing like her exchange home or that of her foster father, Reverend Craig, back in Scotland. She'd never seen its like - especially not from the inside. 

Following close behind Ororo's heels, she cleared her throat shyly. "Ah ... the blue lad - Kurt ye called him? - will he be all right?" 

"I am sure that he shall be fine. Come, here is the kitchen. Is there anything you would like?" 

"Home," whispered Rahne. "A want tae be home." She bit her lip. She had not thought of it for weeks, but now, suddenly, she wanted nothing else. Now that her part in the crisis was largely over, the shock of the last few hours was catching up to her rapidly. She sat down in a chair and looked at her trembling hands. "A want tae gae home. A should gae home right now." She stood up, then sat down again. "A want ... a need tae ... " 

Ororo looked at her with concern. "Do not worry, child, all is well. Let me get you some cocoa; that will make you feel better." Within a few minutes she placed the hot mug in Rahne's shaking grasp. "Drink this, child." 

Rahne nodded and gratefully sipped the hot liquid. Then she frowned. "Wait a m-minute," she slurred, "there'sh shomething wrong wif the ... " 

Ororo caught the mug as it dropped from Rahne's suddenly numb hands. Rahne felt a sudden surge of terror. _Oh, Lord, where have ye led me?_ And then the world slammed down around her. 

  


Logan walked into the kitchen to see Ororo putting a mug in the sink and the were-girl - Sinclair, the professor had called her - slumped in a chair. "Hey, 'Ro - what happened here?" 

"Logan." Ororo glanced at him. "The child appears to be injured, and was becoming agitated." She pointed to the gash along Rahne's forearm. "I thought it best that she should get some rest. Please carry her to the infirmary so she can sleep while I prepare another room for her." 

"Whatever you say, darlin'." He gathered the tall girl in his arms and carried her out the kitchen door. 


	6. Heart of Darkness

Disclaimer: Don't make me repeat myself, OK? 

Author's Notes: This is the final chapter of "Old Enemies, New Friends". But never fear, I'm already working on episode two! 

Those of you who tried to help with my formatting troubles - I figured out the problem. I forgot my [html] [/html] tags. D'oh! Problem solved, I hope ... 

  


Chapter 6: Heart of Darkness 

  


Rahne woke to the feeling of warm sunshine on her face. She stirred, then stretched, then opened her eyes. 

A great big blue furry face hovered inches away from her. 

"AAAIIIIEEEEE!!!!" 

The face disappeared abruptly and Rahne heard a thump. Then memory of what had happened and where she was and who the blue furry face belonged to came rushing back to her. "Oh, good heavens!" 

She peered over the edge of the bed she was in. Kurt, white fangs gleaming in his blue face, grinned sheepishly up at her. "Ah ... guten Tag, Fraulein?" he ventured. Awkwardly he climbed to his feet. "I am glad to see you looking better." 

Rahne recoiled involuntarily with a tiny gasp as he rose, then realized what she had done. Fool girl! He cannae help how he looks, now can he? Mebbe he did nae notice. "A ... A'm fine. A remember Ororo ... and ..." She shook her head. "Anyway, it was ye who got banged up much worse'n A did. How are _ye_ doin'?" 

"I am vell enough." Kurt spoke keeping his mouth shut as much as possible. His injured arm was in a sling, but his other arm suddenly went behind his back, and Rahne realized he was trying to hold his tail out of her sight. "Thank you for asking, Fraulein Sinclair. Um. Vell, I should really be going back into my bed before Ororo decides to check on me. Until later, then." 

He turned to go. Rahne froze. She wanted to apologize, to ask him to stay, to talk to him about Xavier's school. "Ah - until later," she repeated faintly. 

The door closed behind him. Rahne put her face into her pillow and soaked it with scalding tears. 

  


"You mean - her father does not know yet?" 

"Foster father. But you are essentially correct, Ororo; he is not yet fully aware of the situation." Professor Xavier thoughtfully tapped a pencil on his desk. "Her exchange family notified me that there may be ... complications. I think it best that she tell him herself, when the time is right." 

"The time is never right," sighed Ororo. 

Logan's bass rumble was almost lost in the sound of the rain pounding against the windowpanes. "Poor kid ..." 


End file.
